2. What is folklore?
First coined in 1846 by William John Toms, it is
simply the lore (stories and cultural behaviors) shared
by a particular folk (or group of people).
3. Folk or Folk Group
Any two or more people who share at least one
significant cultural behavior in common.
They often share traditions which create a shared
identity among group members and help the group
endure over time.
Everyone belongs to at least a few folk groups; most
people belong to many.
The more cultural factors a folk group shares, the
more traditions the will likely share.
Catholic high school students who live in Miami and go
to LaSalle and are juniors are likely to share more
stories than Catholic college students in Michigan, etc.
4. Culture:
Everything that humans do that isn’t motivated solely
by natural instinct.
Sleeping is natural—we do it by instinct. Sleeping with
in a bed is cultural.
Give another example of a cultural behavior.
5. Narrative
A story of any kind.
Has plot and characters
Different cultures have a different sense of story
What is an is not appropriate in that culture
Has a moral or lesson that is culturally appropriate
Traditional
Has continuity over time and through space
6. Variant:
Any version of a folk/traditional narrative that is
similar to another version of the same narrative.
Hans Christian Anderson’s “The Little Mermaid”
Disney’s The Little Mermaid
Creation stories
7. Orality:
A quality of anything that is spoken, chanted, sung or
read aloud rather than written down. Most folk tales
begin as an oral traditional narrative.
8. Types of Lore/Traditional Culture
Traditional narratives
epics, magic tales, legends, jokes, folk drama
Traditional costumes
Professional clothing, sports, uniforms, hairstyles
Traditional beliefs
Religions, superstitions, ethical values
Traditional non-narrative speech
Slang, jargon, nicknames
Traditional material culture
Architecture, folk art
Traditional calendar customs
Holidays, festivals, birthday parties
Traditional music and dance
Folksongs and folk dances
9. Genres of Folk Narrative
Epic
A long narrative poem passed down from oral tradition.
Usually tells the story of a great hero doing great deeds.
The Odyssey is an example
Legend
A folk tale that is told as though the teller believes it is true.
They often deal with the origins of things, phenomena, or
names.
King Arthur
Urban Legend
A legend told in or about modern society. They often
express the concerns/anxieties of modern existence.
“Kentucky Fried Rat”
10. Genres Continued
Joke
A short traditional narrative designed create laugher or a
humorous response.
Three mathematicians were walking down to the railway station one day, deep in
conversation about mathematics. They were so absorbed in what they were talking
about that as they approached the station, they failed to hear the announcement that
the train was about to leave.
However they did notice when the train started to pull away from the platform.
Alarmed, they started to run after the train, and eventually two of them managed to
scramble on board.
A station porter noticed the remaining man looking glum. "Never mind", he said,
"Two out of three isn't bad."
"But you don't understand," replied the mathematician, "they only came to see me
off."
Folk Drama
Drama performed with less formality than mainstream
theater. It often involves audience participation.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show “floor show”
Ballad
Any traditional song that recounts a narrative, usually
structured around repetition.
“Scarborough Fair”
11. So…
Name a folk group of which you are a part.
What traditions do you share?
What lore/traditional culture do you share?
What is one folk tale from that group?
What genre of folk tale is it?